Florida police seek info on woman in murder case

Police in Hallandale Beach, Fla., are trying to identify a woman captured on video outside the townhouse of Donny Pichosky and Rochelle Wise the day the Toronto couple were murdered.

The Jan. 9 video, which was taken by a neighbour’s surveillance system, shows a woman carrying an item and walking to the rear of the house just before 11 a.m., then walking back to the front/side area of the house empty-handed.

Police say the woman in the video is not a suspect or a person of interest. She is heavy-set and in the video is wearing a dark jacket, grey pants and white running shows, and she appears to be blond and either eating or smoking as she walks.

The footage can be found on cjnews.com

Pichosky, 71, and Wise, 66, were found Jan. 10 by a concerned neighbour who had a key to their Venetian Park townhouse. They had failed to show up for a planned lunch and didn’t answer repeated phone calls.

Wise was a preschool administrator at Bialik Hebrew Day School and a founding director of Crestwood Valley Day Camp.

Pichosky, her husband of four years, was a retired businessman who volunteered with seniors at Baycrest, and had spent at least 20 years wintering in Florida.

Hallandale police have been tight-lipped about the case and have not released a cause of death. Hallandale Beach police chief Dwayne Flournoy told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel last month that police believe providing details would “severely hamper” their ability to solve the case.

As part of the investigation, Hallandale police, including Flournoy, travelled to Toronto at the end of January to meet with family members and others who knew the couple. Flournoy has expressed confidence that the murders will be solved, and he assured residents of the condo complex at a Jan. 22 meeting that they are not at increased risk.

Police are asking anyone with information about the identity of the person on the video to call Det. Lane Sauls at 954-457-1438. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS or via email at www.browardcrimestoppers.org to receive up to a $1,000 reward.

The Canadian Jewish News (CJN) is a not for profit media organization, serving the Jewish community, by providing a platform for diverse points of view, on subjects of interest and relevance. With an audited circulation of nearly 32,000, and read by more than 100,000 people each week, The CJN is Canada's largest award-winning weekly Jewish newspaper.